May 4, 2016—The Arctic

May 4, 2016—The Arctic

Since the spring of 2014, the Senate Liberals have been opening our doors to Canadians through our Open Caucus initiative. The goal of these meetings is to foster nonpartisan discussion on issues facing our country. We invite all parliamentarians, the public, and the media to attend.

Rising global temperatures have affected few areas as they have the Arctic. Areas that were once covered with sea ice year round are becoming more and more accessible to navigation and development activities. As a result Canada is in the process of solidifying its sovereignty over its extended continental shelf and is engaging in treaty negotiations with its Arctic neighbors to ensure that it has fair and equitable access to the natural resources and sea lanes that this disappearing ice has presented. Yet Canada already has a set of treaties that cover the Arctic that it must uphold and respect: its treaties with the Inuit.

Last spring, the Senate Liberal Caucus met to discuss this relationship. We learned that as Canada moves forward with the international treaty process, it must ensure that it honour its obligations toward the Inuit, including the treaties it has concluded with them. Given that this process is still ongoing, we felt it important to return to this issue. Our panel included: